Battalion Chief Peterson retires after 30 years

Tuesday

GALESBURG — It didn't begin to hit Todd Peterson that he was working his last shift until he began to turn in items.

His winter coat. His second set of gear.

"As I walk around and do stuff like that, it’s like holy cow, when I walk out of here (Wednesday). I mean, I’ve been doing this half my life."

Those actions in his first few hours to start his shift Tuesday morning began the realization that it was, in fact, Peterson's last day after 30 years with the Galesburg Fire Department. The battalion Chief sat down with The Register-Mail late Tuesday morning to talk about his career, before the rest of the day got underway.

There was a planned ice cream and cake social at the Central Fire Station Tuesday afternoon, among probably other lesser known signs of goodbye such as people swinging by the station to see Peterson off.

The East Galesburg resident, who spent 10 years with the Illinois National Guard, said one of his brother's friends was a firefighter and recommended he test for the department in 1988.

Peterson joked many firefighters with whom he has worked all remember his first day: Aug. 8, 1988, or 8/8/88. He will leave the fire station at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday — 8/8/18.

"I remember the early ones and I remember the ones that have happened lately, but the first one that always pops into my mind is the Arlington Hotel that was across from the depot. It burnt back in, I think, spring of 1989," Peterson said of notable calls.

He recalled at the time Galesburg City Council was talking about what to do with the three- or four-story brick building that was formerly a hotel. On the way to the call, Peterson was asked by a captain to get some gear ready while the fire engine was stuck at a train crossing on Seminary Street. That's where the Bickerdyke Bridge now provides an overpass for local residents.

"I looked back over the train that we were stopped at back to the south, and there was just a column of smoke and flames coming from the south and that was a big one."

The job has changed quite a bit in the last 30 years, but it was almost fitting that on Peterson’s last day the department was handing out free opiate overdose-reversal kits at its three stations under a new program that began this summer.

"We started going to more overdoses" since the department began to carry naloxone kits, also known as Narcan "than we ever did when I was younger," he said.

Galesburg Fire Chief Tom Simkins said there was a large turnout Tuesday afternoon for the ice cream and cake social to see Peterson off, who joined the department at a similar time as Simkins.

"We had a lot of the same experiences and seen a lot of the cultural changes to the department. He's just been a fun guy to be around ... he's made my life easy the last nine years. I've been fortunate to have outstanding battalion chiefs and he's been one," Simkins said.

"He's always been very positive and been very great with public education. He's a guy that's very straightforward and you always pretty much know what you're going to get with him because he's never wavered. He's been pretty much a rock for us."

Simkins then summoned up by saying Peterson was a "damn good fireman ... he was a guy you could count on to get the job done. Guys respect that a lot."

As far as what's next, Peterson isn't quite sure. He joked that he built his wife the "Taj MaHen" — a chicken coup and a run.

"We got a barn out where we live so I'm thinking about putting a shop out there. We'll see," he said.

As far as why Peterson decided to retire now, he said he wanted to get to 30 years with the department, but also wanting to give some of his younger co-workers "a shot."

"I could have kept going, but I just think it’s the right time to go. I’m really happy for the guys that are going to get promoted off of this."

Fire Capt. Dave Farrell is set to be promoted to take Peterson's battalion chief slot in a ceremony next week. That will trigger another promotion to Farrell's vacant captain slot, which will go to Matt Lewis.

"We haven't hired somebody in two years. When we get guys, they tend to stay pretty much their whole career in most cases. So sometimes unless a guy retires, we don't really have any openings," Simkins said.

"I’ve been propped up by some really good firemen. I’ve learned from some of the best and I would have the people of Galesburg know we really do have a good department here," Peterson said.

"You don’t hear much about us unless something’s burning or somebody’s having a heart attack, but we got a lot of hard chargers who love their community. And most of the time that’s the way we’d just assume it would be anyways. We’re here to do our job, we’re not asking for community accolades. We love what we do and the guys do it well."